Braintree Town 1 Harriers 4

Date: 17-03-12
Venue: Amlim Stadium
att: 610
away fans: 65 est

Harriers get back on the winning track

Report by Philip Lench

Following this mornings revelation that Jamille Matt, the Harriers star striker, was under suspicion of being a so called illegal immigrant then the worst was to have been expected at Braintree. On the back of a terrible defeat at Telford mid week then it looked as if our week couldn't get any worse.

Thankfully, although going down to yet another early goal, the lads responded brilliantly and gained a well deserved win 'just for Jamma'.

There were a couple of changes to the side that played at Telford. Out went Callum Gittings and Nick Wright to be replaced with Dave Hankin and Marvin Johnson. There was no place on the bench for Lee Hendrie or Gittings.

In the corresponding game at Aggborough the Harriers were the winners in a high scoring game that saw them trailing 2-1 at halftime but after the break turned it around to win resoundingly 5-4. Today it was Ben Wright, one of the goalscorers that night, that opened to scoring in the sixth minute when the Harriers defenders failed to stop Sean Marks racing forward to put a far post cross in onto Wrights head and thence beyond the reach of Tony Breeden in the visitors goal.

That goal seemed to resolve the team and they started to play more as a unit and chances went begging for Steve Guinan, Hankin, Jack Byrne, Tom Marshall, Anthony Malbon and Lee Vaughan. They were lining up to shoot and a goal just had to come soon.

With the break approaching that's just what happened. Mickey Demetriou sent in a long, speculative shot from the halfway line that was pushed onto the underside of the bar by the Iron keeper, Nathan McDonald. He managed to grab it but then spilled it out for a corner. From the take Tom Marshall rose the highest and directed a firm and powerful header goalwards and into the net.

The whistle for half time went soon after.

HT: 1 - 1

The Harriers came out for the second period with all guns blazing and it took just another five minutes for the Reds to take the lead. Braintree failed to clear a cross from Hankin and the result was meat and drink to Jack Byrne as he volleyed the ball into the net from outside the area.

Ten minutes later and our lead was increased with another fine goal, this time from Anthony Malbon. He scored a great goal at Telford the other night but this one was just as good as that one. Persevering against some strong marking he managed to evade the defender this time and volley in another cracker of a goal to put the Harriers into an almost unassailable lead.

In what could be seen as a strange move he was almost immediately withdrawn from the game to allow Nick Wright on. It must have been a precautionary substitution rather than a tactical one.

Braintree weren't about to give the game up and made their own substitution in response to going further behind. On came Jamie Guy for Brad Quinton and straight away he almost scored when his shot was blocked on the line by Lee Vaughan. It didn't matter though because soon after we increased our lead well beyond the reach of the hosts.

From nothing Jack Byrne let fly another screamer towards the goal and again McDonald didn't have a chance in hell of stopping it going in. It was Jacks second goal of the game and we now have four players with a goal tally in double figures.

We almost made it five just after when Steve Guinans effort was deflected wide. Another chance fell the way of sub Ryan Rowe but Nick Wright spurned the chance to play him in and elected to try and score himself even though he was poorly positioned to. In the dying stages of the game Marvin Johnsons shot went narrowly wide.

So the Harriers managed to come back from that bad Telford defeat and also get their first win in weeks. We now need to take this new found scoring prowess to Tamworth on Tuesday evening and thank them properly for holding Grimsby to a draw today.